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Report: Has the Northwest reached "peak gas"?

The number of highway vehicle miles traveled in Oregon plateaus around the year 2000, according to this graph from the Oregon Department of Transportation. The Seattle-based Sightline Institute released a report today that argues the Northwest may have already reached the peak of its gasoline consumption.

Today Sightline released a detailed report on driving trends in the Northwest. According to author Clark Williams-Derry, gasoline consumption in Oregon and Washington has been flat since 1999. The trend has continued despite population growth, ups and downs in the economy and gas price volatility. Why? Williams-Derry writes it could be because the region has reached peak gas.

Among the likely reasons for the plateau in gas guzzling, he lists: Higher gas prices, more fuel-efficient vehicles, upticks in telecommuting and online socializing, aging baby boomers, slower population growth, economic uncertainty and changes in land-use for more concentrated, walkable neighborhoods.

Gas consumption could rise again if the economy rebounds, he notes, but it could also continue declining as cars and trucks become even more fuel efficient. Fewer gas sales won’t hurt the Northwest economy because neither Oregon nor Washington produces any petroleum, he writes, but the states could start seeing less gas tax money for highway maintenance.

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